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The Middle Three
People → United States → Ian Cheng

People · United States

Ian Cheng

2×2 · top 3.3% of 186,767 all-time · competing since August 2021 · 2021CHEN51

Ian Cheng has been competing for 5 years. His best event is the 2×2: a personal-best single of 1.75, set at Empire State Summer B 2021, puts him in the top 3.3% of the 186,767 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 1,289th in the United States. Until February 2008, no official 2×2 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 5 competitions since August 2021, he has put 106 official solves on the record across nine events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 15% around a typical one, an early reading from 5 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 18.48 in August 2021 to 14.60, a 21% improvement. Ian has entered five competitions, more competitions than 83% of everyone who has ever competed.

2×2
best event — top 3.3% of 186,767 all-time
1.75
signature single · Empire State Summer B 2021
106
official solves on the record

Standing, event by event

vs everyone ever ranked
EventPB singlePB averageAll-time standingUnited States
2×21.754.31
top 3.3%1,289 / 40,951
3×314.6017.91
top 23.1%12,493 / 59,724
Skewb7.0214.43
top 33.8%5,686 / 18,907
3×3 one-handed28.6232.26
top 43.4%5,861 / 15,683
Clock16.23
top 52.7%4,324 / 8,927
4×41:18.31
top 54.5%9,302 / 19,072
5×52:39.70
top 70.3%6,179 / 9,401
Pyraminx13.6118.27
top 76.0%22,516 / 28,708
Square-11:04.28
top 86.2%5,796 / 6,743

Percentile against all competitors ever ranked in each event, a fairer measure than raw rank, because the pools differ by a factor of ten.

The line so far

Empire State Summer B 2021: 18.48Babylon Fall 2021: 15.76Empire State Winter B 2022: 14.64Empire State Spring 2022: 14.60New York Championship 2022: 15.7714.6018.481 Aug 20212 Jul 2022

Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.

The story so far

Competitions

Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · top X% compares against everyone ever ranked in that event, which is fairer than raw rank because event pools differ tenfold.

The circuit

The people whose scorecards keep turning up next to his.

  • Carter Williams — met in 24 rounds, finished ahead twice
  • Evan Yao — met in 24 rounds, finished ahead twice
  • Evan Liu — met in 24 rounds, never finished ahead

Next targets

  • A sub-1 2×2 single — 1,032 people have one; it is 0.75 away.
  • A sub-12 3×3 single — 39,535 people have one; it is 2.60 away.

Targets move as he improves.